Kulbhushan Jadhav Case: UN Unlikely to Speak Out on Death Sentence

The United Nations is not likely to wade into the Kulbhushan Jadhav issue with the world body saying it was “not in a position to comment”.

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New Delhi: The United Nations is not likely to wade into the Kulbhushan Jadhav issue with the world body saying it was “not in a position to comment”.

"We are not in the position to judge the process, to have a position on this particular (Kulbhushan Jadhav) case," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at his daily briefing in response to a question on the death sentence awarded to the Indian national by a Pakistani military court.

He, however, called on the two countries to engage in dialogue. "Overall in terms of relations between India and Pakistan, we continue to underline the need for the parties to find a peaceful solution through engagement and dialogue," Dujarric said.

His remarks come just days after Pakistan army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa approved Jadhav's execution after a military court sentenced him to death for "espionage and sabotage activities", evoking a sharp reaction from India which warned Islamabad to consider the consequences on bilateral ties if he is hanged.

Reacting strongly to Jadhav's sentencing, India has said that if the ruling was carried out, "the government and people of India will regard it as a case of premeditated murder".

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said India will go "out of way" to ensure justice to Jadhav who is an "innocent kidnapped Indian".

She said the charges against Jadhav, who was doing business in Iran and was kidnapped and taken to Pakistan, are "concocted" and the trial against him was "farcical", leading to an "indefensible verdict".